Combined cooking and heating fireplace



Jan. 4, 1966 M. L. CLARK COMBINED COOKING AND HEATING FIREPLACE FiledJuly 18, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

MORTON 4. czAAK Jan. 4, 1966 M. L. CLARK 3,227,149

COMBINED COOKING AND HEATING FIREPLACE Filed July 18, 196.3 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MORTO/V A. (ZAP/f A TTOR/VEYS 3,227,149 COMBINED COOKING AND HEATINGFIREPLACE Morton L. Clark, Anna Maria Island, Fla., assignor toGuaranteed Weather, Inc., Bradenton, Fla., a corporation of FloridaFiled July 18, 1963, Ser. No. 296,128 10 Claims. (Cl. 126-4) Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my copending application SerialNo. 67,033, filed November 3, 1960, now abandoned.

This invention relates to fireplaces and particularly to fireplaces ofthe type which are not an integral part of a building.

The use of fireplaces in connection with closed or open areas has beenpopular because of the aesthetic appearance and the utility of heatingand cooking. However, a conventional fireplace which is built as a partof a building has the distinct disadvantage of being high in initialcost. Therefore, in .view of the recent popularity ofcooking over openfire, it is morecommon to find the use of portable barbecue grillseither inside a home, in a patio area or in a backyard. Bothconventional fireplaces and portable barbecue grills have the distinctdisadvantages of requiring substantial maintenance, periodic cleaningout of ashes, continued surveillance and replenishing of the fuel.Moreover, the portable barbecue grills obviously have no real heatingvalue but are only useful for broiling foods.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fireplace which is gasfired and which effectively simulates a coal fire.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a fireplacewhich is low in cost.

It is a further object of the inventionto provide such a fireplace whichcan be used for heating an area or for broiling foods.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a fireplacewhich includes a grill wherein various portions of food, such as steaks,can be simultaneously broiled to varying degrees.

It is a further object of the invention to provide sucha fireplace whichis particularly suitable for use in a patio or porch area.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a fireplacewhich distributes infrared and radiant heat to the area in which thefireplace is positioned.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a fireplacewhich can be readily converted from space heating to broiling condition.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevationof the fireplace embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the fireplace shown inFIGS 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of fireplace,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

\FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the radiant strip utilized in thefireplace shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

A United States Iatent G FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of theradiant strip shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the fireplace comprises a housing 10 whichcan be made of sheet metal or similar material and includes a front wall11, rear wall 12, and end walls 13. Housing 10 also includes aconvergingsection 14 that extends upwardly to a stack 15 which, in turn, extendsthrough an opening in the roof 16 of the area in which the fireplace islocated. It will be appreciated that the fireplace can be placed in theinterior of an 3,227,149 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 area, such as a house, orin a covered area, such as a patio. Where only grilling is desired, thefireplace can, of course, be placed outdoors.

The front wall 11 of the housing 10 includes asubstantially verticalopening 17. A perforated support 18, such as a meshed wire construction,is provided within the housing adjacent the lower edge 19 of the opening17.

Support 18 is curved so that its upper surface is convex and issupported on ledges 20, 21 in such manner that it extends upwardly andrearwardly from the lower edge of opening 17. A plurality of briquettes22 made of a noncombustible material, such as ceramic, are positioned onthe support 18 in closely adjacent relationship to one another in asingle layer as shown, for example, in FIG. 3. A satisfactory briquettematerial comprises fire clay containing a material that burns out whenthe fire clay is fired at a temperature that is elevated so that there-. sultant product is porous. Such briquettes are made by conventionalfire-brick processes, namely, by molding the material in suitably shapedmolds and thereafter firing the molded material in a kiln at elevatedtemperatures such as about 2300 F. A grill 23, which is substantiallyflat, is supported in overlying relationship to the support 18.by pins24 on the end walls 13. A damper 25 is:

the support 18 and between the ceramic briquettes 22 which produces aflame that simulates the burning of coal and particularly charcoal.Since the support 18 curves upwardly and rearwardly, the fire, whenviewed through the opening 17, gives the effect of a burning fire ofcoals. I have found that when the burner is set so that high flames passbetween the briquettes, the effect of burning coal is achieved. When theburner is set so that the flames are shorter, the effect of a charcoalfire is achieved. When the fireplace is used for heating the interior ofan area, the burner can be set for higher flames and the damper 25 canbe closed, the damper being designed to cause the heat to be radiatedfrom the fireplace but allowing the products of combustion to go up thestack to the outside. When the fireplace is to be used only forgrilling, the burner can be set for low flames, the damper 25 can beopened and the suction fan 26 energized to cause the combustion gases,heat and fumes from broiling to pass more readily upwardly and outwardlythrough the stack 15.

In broiling, the use of the fiat grill 23 in connection with the curvedsupport 18 permits the simultaneous broiling of portions of food, suchas steaks, to varying degrees at the same time. Specifically, if a steakis positioned at the point A, it will be cooked a lesser amount than ifitis positioned at the point B in the same amount of time. Thisaddiitonal advantage of the arrangement obviates the necessity of havingone person in a party wait for his food to be prepared to the desireddegree of cooking while another persons food is already cooked.

It can thus be seen that I have provided a fireplace vided forinstallation in an existing fireplace in order to provide a means ofcreating quickly and easily a fire that realistically simulates a coalfire.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4-7, the fireplace comprisesa housing 30 of sheet metal or similar material and includes a lowersection 31, an upper section 32, a stack 33, the latter extendingupwardly through an opening in the roof 34 of the area in which thefireplace is located. As in the previous form of the invention, thefireplace can be placed in the interior of an area, such as a house, orin a covered area, such as a patio, or outdoors.

The lower section 31 of the housing 30 includes a flat vertical backwall 35, flat vertical side walls at right angles to the wall 35, and afront wall comprising front side portions 37 inclined forwardly andinwardly and connected to a central vertical portion parallel to theback portion 35.

Upper section 32 includes a back wall 39 from an extension of back wall35 and a curved, partly conical front wall 40 which has the front endthereof cut away as at 40 to define an opening for the fireplace.

As shown in FIG. 4, a horizontal ledge 40 extends inwardly from theupper end of the front wall, and a short upstanding plate 42 extendsupwardly from the ledge 41. A perforated support 43, substantiallysimilar to previously described support 18, curves upwardly andrearwardly from below the upper edge of the plate 42 and downwardly andrearwardly on to a bar 43.

A 'gas burner 50b, having substantially the same length asthe width ofthe support 43, is positioned beneath the support 43 generally centrallybetween the front and rear edge thereof and vertically above the ledge41. A valve 51 permits control of the fiames of the burner 50b.

A plurality of briquettes 44, like briquettes 22, are positioned on thesupport 43 and closely adjacent relationship to one another in a singlelayer. A flat wire grill 45 is removably supported in space overlyingrelation to the support 43. An inverted V-shaped deflector strip 59a ispreferably mounted in overlying relation to the strip burner to preventmeat drippings from dropping directly onto the burner.

A radiant reflective strip 46, having a polished surface, such as analuminum strip, is removably mounted in a horizontal are along the backand side walls of the upper section by engagement with clips 47. Asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7, strip 46 is preferably vertically corrugated andprovided with scored lines producing a plurality of reflecting surfaces.

Stack 33 is provided with a movable damper 48 and a suction fan 49having its motor 50 mounted extremely on the stack and its propeller, orfan 51, mounted internally in the stack. Deflector passes 52 areprovided on the ledge 41 at the sides of the lower section 31.

With the radiant strip 46 in position, the flames passing upwardlythrough the briquettes 44 provide infrared rays that are reflected bythe radiant strip 46 to the interior of the room or area in which thefireplace is positioned to heat the area. The position of the radiantstrip 46 in a curved manner tends to cause the infrared heat to bereflected uniformly outwardly into the area.

Thus, the fireplace provides space heating by the normal radiant heatthat is carried away from the fireplace due to convection currents ofair but, in addition, directs infrared rays outwardly to heat persons orobjects in the path of the infrared rays. The fireplace thus can be usedoutdoors to provide infrared heating.

Obviously, the grill 45 is preferably removed during heating of the areato not only provide heating of the area but produce the unobstructedillusion of a natural coal or charcoal fire. When it is desired toprovide flames only for broiling, the radiant strip 46 is removed.

In both forms of the invention shown and described, the fireplacesimulates a coal fire without the disadvantages normally inherent insuch a fire. Even upon close surveillance, it is practically impossibleto distinguish the flame of the fireplace from a coal fire.

I claim:

1. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a housing having aforwardly facing opening,

a perforated support within the housing,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of'noncombustible material loosely positionedin a layer on said support,

said support being so positioned that the majority of said briquettesare above the lower edge of said opening,

a grill mounted within said housing in spaced relation to and overlyingsaid support,

gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said support within said housing,

a stack overlying said grill for withdrawing combustion gases from saidhousing,

damper means in said stack and suction means in said stack,

said damper means and said suction means being adapted to be selectivelyoperated for utilizing said fireplace for heating and for broilingfoods.

2. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a housing having a wallwith a substantially vertical opening therein,

a perforated support within the housing,

said support having an upper convex surface which extends upwardly andrearwardly from adjacent the lower edge of the opening in said housing,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely positionedon said support,

said support being so positioned that the majority of said briquettesare above the lower edge of said opening,

a flat grill mounted within said housing in spaced relation to andoverlying said support,

gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said support within said housing,

a stack overlying said grill for withdrawing combustion gases from saidhousing,

damper means in said stack and suction means in said stack,

said damper means and said suction means being adapted to be selectivelyoperated for utilizing said fireplace for heating and broiling of foods.

3. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a housing having a wallwith a substantially vertical opening therein,

a perforated support within the housing,

said support having an upper convex surface which extends upwardly andrearwardly from adjacent the lower edge of the opening in said housing,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely positionedon said support,

said support being so positioned that the majority of said briquettesare above the lower edge of said openmg,

a flat grill mounted within said housing in spaced relation to andoverlying said support,

gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said support within said housing,

said housing having a stack overlying said grill for withdrawingcombustion gases from said housing,

damper means in said stack and suction means in said stack,

said damper means and said suction means being adapted to be selectivelyoperated for utilizing said fireplace for heating and broiling of foods.

4. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a sheet metal housinghaving substantially vertical front, rear and end walls,

said front wall with a substantially vertically extending openingtherein,

said housing having a stack on the upper end thereof including aconverging front section extending upwardly and rearwardly from theupper edge of the front wall,

a wire mesh support mounted within said housing,

said support being curved to provide an upper convex surface whichextends upwardly and rearwardly from adjacent the lower edge of theopening in the front wall,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely disposed ina generally single layer on said support such that the majority of saidbriquettes are above the lower edge of said opening,

a flat grill removably mounted within said housing in spaced relation toand substantially overlying said support,

and horizontally spaced gas-fired burners positioned beneath and inspaced relation to said support within said housing,

said stack being provided with damper means and suetion means each ofwhich can be selectively operated.

5. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a sheet metal housinghaving a front wall with a substantially vertically extending openingtherein,

said housing having a stack on the upper end thereof,

a perforated support mounted within said housing,

said support being curved to provide a front half portion which extendsupwardly and rearwardly from below the lower edge of the opening in thefront wall and a rear half portion which extends generally horizontallyfrom the front half portion to the rear of the housing,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely disposed ina generally single layer on said support such that the majority of saidbriquettes are above the lower edge of said opening,

a substantially horizontally extending flat grill removably mountedwithin said housing in spaced relation to and overlying said support,

and gas-fired burners positioned beneath and in spaced relation to saidsupport within said housing,

said stack being provided with damper means and suction means of whichcan be selectively operated.

6. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a housing having aforwardly facing opening,

a perforated support within the housing,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely positionedin a layer on said support,

said support being so positioned that the majority of said briquettesare above the lower edge of said opening,

a grill mounted within said housing in spaced relation to and overlyingsaid support,

gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said support within said housing,

a stack overlying said grill. for withdrawing combustion gases from saidhousing,

damper means in said stack and suction means in said stack,

said damper means and said suction means being adapted to be selectivelyoperated for utilizing said fireplace for heating and for broilingfoods,

and a reflective strip positioned within said housing in overlyingrelationship to said grill for reflecting heat outwardly of saidhousing.

7. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a perforated supportdisposed within said fireplace,

said support having an upper convex surface which extends upwardly andrearwardly from the lower front area of said fireplace,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely disposed ina shallow layer on said upper convex surface of said support so as tosubstantially cover the same,

and adjustable gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said surface ofsaid support for selectively supplying suflicient quantities of flamewhich in passing through said briquettes simulate charcoal or coalfires,

and a reflective strip positioned within said housing in verticallyspaced relationship to said grill for reflecting heat outwardly of saidhousing.

8. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a sheet metal housinghaving a front wall with a substantially vertically extending openingtherein,

said housing having a stack on the upper end thereof,

a perforated support mounted within said housing,

said support being curved to provide a front half portion which extendsupwardly and rearwardly from below the lower edge of the opening in thefront wall and a rear half portion which extends generally horizontallyfrom the front half portion of the rear of the housing,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely disposed ina generally single layer on said support such that the majority of saidbriquettes are above the lower edge of said opening,

a substantially horizontally extending flat grill removably mountedwithin said housing in spaced relation to and overlying said support,

and gas-fired burners positioned beneath and in spaced relation to saidsupport within said housing,

said stack being provided with damper means and suction means of whichcan be selectively'operated,

and a reflective strip positioned within the said housing in verticallyspaced relationship to said grill for reflecting heat outwardly of saidhousing.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein said of material havinga highly reflective surface.

10. In a fireplace, the combination comprising a perforated supportdisposed within said fireplace,

said support having an upper convex surface which extends upwardly andrearwardly from the lower front area of said fireplace,

said support extending substantially horizontally,

a plurality of briquettes of noncombustible material loosely disposed ina shallow layer on said upper convex surface of said support so as tosubstantially cover the same,

and adjustable gas-fired burner means spaced beneath said surface ofsaid support for selectively supplying suflicient quantities of flamewhich in passing through said briquettes simulate charcoal or coalfires,

and a reflective strip positioned within said housing in verticallyspaced relationship to said grill for reflecting heat outwardly of saidhousing, 7

said strip comprising an inwardly curved length of material having ahighly reflective surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 12,491 3/1855Smith et al 126-120 436,656 9/1890 Gibbons 126-92 438,749 10/1890 Elwood126-92 701,100 5/1902 Stewart 126-92 1,085,265 1/1914 Jones 126-92 X1,216,848 2/1917 Schmidt 126-92 1,736,241 11/1929 Aird 12692 2,535,70712/1950 Vezey 126-299 X 2,629,315 2/1953 Schaar.

2,633,071 3/1953 Erickson.

2,790,434 4/1957 Del Francia 126-92 X 2,821,975 2/1958 Thulman 1261202,915,960 12/ 1959 McClellan 126-25 X 2,933,080 4/1960 Adey 126253,090,373 5/1963 Yagley et al -1 126-41 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR.,Primary Examiner.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Examiner.

1. IN A FIREPLACE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AFORWARDLY FACING OPENING, A PERFORATED SUPPORTED WITHIN THE HOUSING,SAID SUPPORT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY, A PLURALITY OFBRIQUETTES A NONCOMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL LOOSELY POSITIONED IN A LAYER ONSAID SUPPORT, SAID SUPPORT BEING SO POSITIONED THAT THE MAJORITY OF SAIDBRIQUETTES ARE ABOVE THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID OPENING, A GRILL MOUNTEDWITHIN SAID HOUSING IN SPACED RELATION TO AND OVERLYING SAID SUPPORT,GAS-FIRED BURNER MEANS SPACED BENEATH SAID SUPPORT WITHIN SAID HOUSING,A STACK OVERLYING SAID GRILL FOR WITHDRAWING COMBUSTION GASES FROM SAIDHOUSING, DAMPER MEANS IN SAID STACK AND SUCTION MEANS IN SAID STACK,SAID DAMPER MEANS AND SAID SUCTION MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELYOPERATED FOR UTILIZING SAID FIREPLACE FOR HEATING AND FOR BROILINGFOODS.